Egypt on the Brink: from Nasser to Mubarak
Tarek Osman
Yale University Press
Dh75
An ageing leader about to disappear without a clear or legitimate successor, a close-knit club of mega-businessmen running the show, a secular-leaning minority lost in the religiously inspired mass, and all hell waiting to break loose. This is the image of Egypt one gets from the global news media. So what can Tarek Osman, a virtually unknown writer, add to it? Surprisingly, a lot. Egypt on the Brink, from Nasser to Mubarak achieves a level of lucidity that is both fair-minded and ruthlessly candid.
Before reading this book, take a moment to ponder your favourite villain in the Egyptian story. For many, Abdel Nasser is the obvious choice, with his poor selection of friends and army commanders, his termination of democracy and good architecture, and his contempt for anything that was not proletarian. For others, it is Anwar Sadat, with his French-tailored suits, boring television appearances, and endless ability to antagonise anyone who was not American or just plain silly. Or do you go for King Farouk, or the Muslim Brotherhood? Egyptians may have had trouble getting the right leaders or disposing of the wrong ones, but taking the wrong turn and immediately regretting it comes naturally to them.
In the past 200 years, Egypt has turned from monarchical and despotic about it to monarchical and almost-liberal about it; from pan-Arab and hard-nosed about it to pan-Arab and bloody-nosed about it. In the last 30 or 40 years, the country shifted from being pro-American and perplexed about capitalism to pro-capitalist and perplexed about Americanism. And there has always been enough time to regret everything and find someone to blame. Then along comes Osman, with an unsettling absence of bitterness, to give credit where it is due.
For him, every leader had something good going for him. And he describes the merits of each in great detail, before tearing them to pieces. Abdel Nasser had a project and inspired people, even while oppressing them. Sadat opened up horizons of hope, before summoning the demons of political and non-political Islam. And Hosni Mubarak offered calm to a nation tired of upheavals, before drowning it in the stagnant waters of stability. A few chapters on, he turns his attention to Gamal Mubarak.
The heir-apparent to the Egyptian presidential throne may have made friends among successful businessmen and not-so-successful academics. But aside from his presumed following in cyberspace, the majority of his real-life supporters look computer-generated, handsome and generic, a mix of hotel receptionists and event organisers. Among Cairo's cool crowd - the Kefaya movement, the human rights lobby and so on - it just isn't done to mention Gamal without a snigger. In polite political company, praising the presidential son is considered poor taste. But Osman does just that - before shredding him.
Osman offers a sober assessment of Gamal's credentials, portraying him as forward-looking, assertive, capable, and occasionally inspiring. Then the axe falls. On the downside, he notes, Gamal's legacy hinges on liberal capitalism. He has no popular mandate and no army to back him. Even if the military deigns to support him, he will still need the masses on his side, and they will never give their support to his "brand Egypt" ideas. That's where the danger is. At some point, if he succeeds his father, Gamal will be tempted to ride the waves of public anger. The hyper-nationalism he exhibited in the football game against Algeria a few months ago may turn out to be a sign of things to come. As Osman puts it, a Gamal-led administration may find itself "compelled to respond to pressure applied by the masses (including the Islamists)". In the process, the pragmatic foreign policy which was the hallmark of his father's era may be ditched. To be replaced with what? Not even Osman seems to know.
The author of this book is not well known. Of the three major English-language commentators I asked, one hadn't heard of him, another speculated that he may be using a pseudonym, and the third had heard of his book but knew nothing about his background. So here is the little that is known. Osman studied business administration at the American University in Cairo and international relations at Bocconi University in Italy. He has worked as a consultant in Cairo, London, and Dubai, a pedigree indicated by his tendency to use "incentivise" in place of "encourage" or "prod", a habit one might pick up during PowerPoint presentations at petroleum-financed gatherings.
His book starts with Mohammad Ali's era, but it is with Gamal Abdel Nasser that it gets good. Osman calls Abdel Nasser's time the "most comprehensive political upheaval in Egypt's history since Napoleon's campaign at the end of the 18th century". Then he proceeds to offer knowledge that newcomers to the region often miss, which is that the bulk of Abdel Nasser's early reforms were suggested by previous politicians, all of whom he unceremoniously banished from political life.
Land reform, one of Abdel Nasser's pet schemes, was proposed by Egyptian parliamentarians almost a decade before the 1952 revolution put it into effect. "Land reform was not Gamal Abdel Nasser's brainchild. Makram Ebeid Pasha, in September 1945, presented to the government a fully drafted bill aimed at enhancing the percentage of fertile land owned by small landowners," Osman says. Pan-Arabism, the hallmark of Nasserism, is as old as the First World War. And it was first coupled with socialism in the writings of Michel Aflaq, the Sorbonne-educated Syrian Christian who founded the Baath Party in 1941. Abdel Nasser embraced it 20 years later, his charisma turning it into an unquestioned creed.
Fundamentalist Islam is usually blamed for the erosion of Egypt's liberal and secular values. With typical fair-mindedness, Osman notes that the country's liberal values were already on the decline by the time the Islamists found their voice in the 1970s. Abdel Nasser had ruthlessly ended western-style liberalism, and Sadat didn't have much use for Abdel Nasser's legacy of secularism.
The picture Osman paints of the Mubarak years is disheartening. As poverty persisted among the majority, an up-and-coming elite, born of Sadat's open-door policies, got more confident and self-absorbed, amassing wealth and power but failing to rally the country around a national project. Osman uses the term "national project" - common in Arabic but less so in English - to refer to the vision that unifies a nation, to a set of ideals that gives everyone hope, not just the rich and powerful.
Abdel Nasser had a national project and Sadat did to some extent, too. Not Mubarak. For him, stability was enough. Because of his connections to the military, Mubarak had a claim on legitimacy. Had his quest for prosperity trickled down to the poor, Mubarak may have even developed an inclusive vision of his own. But this was not to be. Under Mubarak, Christians were sidelined, the nation lost its bearings, the Islamists won hearts and minds without getting anywhere, and a new class of technocrats and business moguls modernised the economy without much thought for the majority.
So what is the verdict? Can Egypt survive Mubarak, or would his death usher in unforeseen misery? According to Osman, Mubarak's policies have no chance of surviving him. His "distorted form of liberal capitalism" is likely to crumble under the weight of widespread poverty, and his "relentlessly realist world outlook" is bound to be swept away in "an avalanche of rejections and resentment".
Osman's book is encyclopaedic in its scope and discomfiting in its revelations. Despite the occasional lapse into consultant-speak, it is highly readable. For newcomers to the region, the repeated references to cinema and theatre, poetry and music offer useful insight into the popular psyche. Diplomats, businessmen, and journalists would be advised to use this book as a primer. And the region's leaders, especially the young, should find it useful. Who knows, perhaps they'll be inspired to come up with their own national projects.
Nabil Shawkat's book, Breakfast with the Infidels, is published by Dar Merit.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYousuf%20Ali%20(2-0-0)%20(win-loss-draw)%20v%20Alex%20Semugenyi%20(0-1-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBenyamin%20Moradzadeh%20(0-0-0)%20v%20Rohit%20Chaudhary%20(4-0-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYoussef%20Karrar%20(1-0-0)%20v%20Muhammad%20Muzeei%20(0-0-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMarwan%20Mohamad%20Madboly%20(2-0-0)%20v%20Sheldon%20Schultz%20(4-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20featherweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBishara%20Sabbar%20(6-0-0)%20v%20Mohammed%20Azahar%20(8-5-1)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECruiseweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Bekdash%20(25-0-0)%20v%20Musa%20N%E2%80%99tege%20(8-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20flyweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESultan%20Al%20Nuaimi%20(9-0-0)%20v%20Jemsi%20Kibazange%20(18-6-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBader%20Samreen%20(8-0-0)%20v%20Jose%20Paez%20Gonzales%20(16-2-2-)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Getting%20there%20and%20where%20to%20stay
%3Cp%3EEtihad%20Airways%20operates%20seasonal%20flights%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20Nice%20C%C3%B4te%20d'Azur%20Airport.%20Services%20depart%20the%20UAE%20on%20Wednesdays%20and%20Sundays%20with%20outbound%20flights%20stopping%20briefly%20in%20Rome%2C%20return%20flights%20are%20non-stop.%20Fares%20start%20from%20Dh3%2C315%2C%20flights%20operate%20until%20September%2018%2C%202022.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20Radisson%20Blu%20Hotel%20Nice%20offers%20a%20western%20location%20right%20on%20Promenade%20des%20Anglais%20with%20rooms%20overlooking%20the%20Bay%20of%20Angels.%20Stays%20are%20priced%20from%20%E2%82%AC101%20(%24114)%2C%20including%20taxes.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
The five pillars of Islam
Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier
ICC Academy, November 22-28
UAE fixtures
Nov 22, v Malaysia
Nov 23, v Hong Kong
Nov 25, v Bhutan
Nov 26, v Kuwait
Nov 28, v Nepal
ICC T20I rankings
14. Nepal
17. UAE
25. Hong Kong
34. Kuwait
35. Malaysia
44. Bhutan
UAE squad
Chaya Mughal (captain), Natasha Cherriath, Samaira Dharnidharka, Kavisha Egodage, Mahika Gaur, Priyanjali Jain, Suraksha Kotte, Vaishnave Mahesh, Judit Peter, Esha Rohit, Theertha Satish, Chamani Seneviratne, Khushi Sharma, Subha Venkataraman
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
The%20Specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.6-litre%204-cylinder%20petrol%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E118hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20149Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Six-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh61%2C500%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20V8%20twin-turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E630hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20Tiptronic%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh599%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
UAE v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
What is 'Soft Power'?
Soft power was first mentioned in 1990 by former US Defence Secretary Joseph Nye.
He believed that there were alternative ways of cultivating support from other countries, instead of achieving goals using military strength.
Soft power is, at its root, the ability to convince other states to do what you want without force.
This is traditionally achieved by proving that you share morals and values.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDirect%20Debit%20System%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sept%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20with%20a%20subsidiary%20in%20the%20UK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elaine%20Jones%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A